Templeton advisory committee presses select board to seek town input on Fernald School land auction

The Town of Templeton Advisory Committee on Wednesday directed staff to draft a recommendation asking the select board to pursue town input after the Commonwealth auctioned parcels including the Fernald School site under the state Affordable Housing Act. The committee’s chair said the town lacks the water and sewer capacity to support large-scale affordable housing development on the state-owned property and described the auctioning as an "unfunded state mandate."

Committee members debated whether the town had, or had been offered, a first right of refusal on particular parcels and whether other locally available vacant or abandoned properties should be prioritized for affordable-housing efforts. The committee noted the town’s recent inclusion of 54 new units at Baldwinville moves Templeton closer to the state’s 10% affordable-housing threshold but that a shortfall remains.

Members agreed to draft a motion for the select board that would formally express concern to state officials and request additional consultation before future sales or development decisions. The committee proposed that the select board consider letters to the governor and the town’s state representatives and recommended the select board seek input on alternatives such as using existing abandoned properties for affordable housing or preserving Fernald for agricultural demonstration use.

The committee did not vote to pursue litigation; several members recommended pursuing negotiations first and asked the select board to pursue next steps. The advisory committee voted to draft and forward a proposed statement and motion to the select board for their consideration.